Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
Median $66,270
Occupation · SOC 25-2031
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: pay and where the jobs are
What secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$72,040 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $76,320
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 1,065,210
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2031.
Check your pay
See where your pay falls among secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Enter your pay to see where it falls.
Use these numbers
How much do secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education make?
The median annual wage for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education was $72,040 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,780 and the highest-paid 10% more than $107,600. About 1,065,210 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($102,670), California ($101,370) and New York ($97,070). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,780 | — | $4,065 | $3,448 |
| 25th percentile | $59,980 | — | $4,998 | $4,198 |
| Median | $72,040 | — | $6,003 | $4,959 |
| 75th percentile | $92,570 | — | $7,714 | $6,163 |
| 90th percentile | $107,600 | — | $8,967 | $7,044 |
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$74,415 take-home in national prices
2
$68,544 take-home in national prices
3
$67,414 take-home in national prices
Where a median secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 14,880 | $102,670 | $62,950 | $128,410 | $79,634 | $74,415 |
| California | 99,230 | $101,370 | $64,600 | $132,600 | $73,644 | $66,513 |
| New York | 70,660 | $97,070 | $60,070 | $136,450 | $71,989 | $66,705 |
| Massachusetts | 28,460 | $95,260 | $61,500 | $122,660 | $70,864 | $67,007 |
| Rhode Island | 4,910 | $92,610 | $51,670 | $100,370 | $70,106 | $68,544 |
| District of Columbia | 2,800 | $82,750 | $50,750 | $128,170 | $62,979 | $57,306 |
| New Jersey | 38,140 | $82,200 | $63,040 | $108,230 | $63,076 | $57,971 |
| Connecticut | 14,800 | $80,970 | $51,710 | $113,610 | $61,684 | $59,535 |
| Illinois | 44,670 | $79,990 | $49,020 | $135,960 | $61,288 | $61,314 |
| Alaska | 2,790 | $79,650 | $63,360 | $98,140 | $64,593 | $63,104 |
| Oregon | 11,730 | $79,570 | $49,640 | $101,310 | $58,963 | $57,046 |
| Ohio | 49,540 | $78,800 | $48,370 | $103,150 | $62,542 | $67,414 |
| Pennsylvania | 52,240 | $78,800 | $51,440 | $102,360 | $61,791 | $63,329 |
| Maryland | 16,640 | $78,670 | $58,150 | $102,690 | $60,804 | $57,931 |
| Delaware | 5,360 | $77,960 | $51,420 | $95,220 | $59,559 | $59,673 |
| New Hampshire | 5,860 | $77,060 | $48,570 | $96,510 | $63,042 | $60,521 |
| Minnesota | 16,020 | $76,460 | $49,160 | $121,220 | $58,607 | $59,427 |
| Utah | 11,030 | $76,330 | $51,400 | $98,730 | $59,342 | $60,024 |
| Vermont | 2,450 | $76,220 | $49,800 | $99,830 | $59,924 | $61,173 |
| New Mexico | 8,120 | $75,900 | $59,330 | $84,170 | $59,824 | $64,877 |
| Georgia | 25,730 | $75,480 | $49,450 | $96,820 | $58,912 | $61,180 |
| Hawaii | 5,590 | $74,310 | $56,040 | $98,360 | $56,892 | $51,743 |
| Colorado | 18,310 | $72,900 | $48,970 | $101,300 | $57,295 | $55,598 |
| Virginia | 31,100 | $72,170 | $49,900 | $107,930 | $56,266 | $55,652 |
| Michigan | 25,540 | $66,030 | $47,830 | $98,720 | $52,680 | $54,751 |
| Nevada | 8,920 | $65,520 | $54,850 | $83,190 | $54,825 | $54,837 |
| Maine | 5,540 | $64,880 | $47,520 | $83,450 | $51,285 | $52,844 |
| Texas | 111,660 | $63,590 | $50,410 | $78,020 | $53,275 | $54,890 |
| Nebraska | 7,170 | $63,450 | $46,870 | $78,510 | $51,155 | $56,774 |
| Wisconsin | 15,910 | $62,870 | $48,550 | $83,340 | $50,473 | $53,640 |
| Guam | 680 | $62,860 | $37,890 | $76,940 | — | — |
| Wyoming | 1,600 | $62,690 | $51,440 | $78,830 | $52,551 | $56,695 |
| South Carolina | 16,080 | $62,580 | $48,740 | $80,700 | $50,629 | $54,005 |
| Alabama | 15,880 | $61,990 | $48,190 | $76,300 | $49,392 | $55,608 |
| Indiana | 20,430 | $61,880 | $48,300 | $95,070 | $50,105 | $53,686 |
| Tennessee | 21,230 | $61,860 | $49,050 | $79,180 | $51,885 | $56,476 |
| Idaho | 6,570 | $61,690 | $47,950 | $91,620 | $49,587 | $51,926 |
| Kentucky | 12,780 | $61,560 | $47,130 | $83,310 | $49,606 | $55,021 |
| North Dakota | 3,070 | $61,210 | $47,630 | $81,310 | $51,362 | $57,737 |
| Iowa | 12,310 | $61,200 | $47,480 | $79,270 | $49,680 | $56,608 |
| Montana | 3,670 | $60,990 | $38,120 | $81,270 | $49,076 | $51,852 |
| Florida | 49,810 | $60,410 | $49,210 | $77,100 | $50,719 | $49,045 |
| Kansas | 10,860 | $59,920 | $47,630 | $76,230 | $47,782 | $53,051 |
| Louisiana | 15,210 | $59,850 | $47,590 | $79,720 | $48,860 | $55,393 |
| Arkansas | 12,890 | $59,660 | $49,430 | $75,760 | $48,397 | $55,669 |
| Virgin Islands | 380 | $59,520 | $51,170 | $76,120 | — | — |
| Missouri | 24,380 | $59,240 | $40,540 | $79,300 | $47,932 | $52,779 |
| Puerto Rico | 5,640 | $59,100 | $39,150 | $73,410 | — | — |
| Arizona | 21,190 | $58,360 | $46,240 | $93,530 | $48,007 | $47,684 |
| North Carolina | 28,620 | $57,650 | $45,430 | $64,460 | $46,710 | $49,520 |
| West Virginia | 3,590 | $56,610 | $48,450 | $64,040 | $45,943 | $51,335 |
| South Dakota | 3,360 | $51,050 | $47,130 | $62,040 | $43,199 | $48,765 |
| Mississippi | 10,400 | $50,980 | $45,760 | $62,850 | $41,835 | $48,112 |
| Oklahoma | 15,480 | $48,710 | $45,150 | $71,650 | $39,672 | $45,162 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 25-2031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.